“It came at the right time for me and helped me transition into the CEO role. Personally, I built confidence and belief in myself. Professionally, I have made some amazing contacts and feel part of a wider community of super-women.”
– Attendee
What is Women’s Resource Centre’s Feminist Leadership Programme?
The Feminist Leadership Programme is one of Women’s Resource Centre’s most popular training sessions. Funded by Rosa, women are invited to attend two days of training on topics including emotional intelligence, unconscious bias, project management, and negotiation. They then devise a social action project to turn the theory into activism and develop their work over the weeks that follow.
How does it work?
At the very beginning of 2020, WRC delivered two intensive days of training across London, Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester and Belfast. By the end of day two, attendees had each identified a social issue and devised a small-scale social action project to tackle it. This project is a way for participants to put the learning from the training into practice, demonstrating that social change is possible through collective action. The escalating pandemic meant that face-to-face follow-up sessions were replaced with a series of online training sessios.
“The trainers were extremely knowledgeable on the subject of feminism and the social action project was super fun and fulfilling. It was wonderful for so many women’s organisations to come together and create a useful tool that women from across the country could benefit from.”
– Attendee
What were this year’s social action projects?
- London: Women and Poverty during the Pandemic The London group created a podcast and a blog post on COVID-19 and its impact on women and poverty.
- Glasgow: Feminist Spotlight Campaign The Glasgow group created a series of blog posts on feminism and anti-racism during COVID-19.
- Newcastle: Women’s Empowerment Toolbox The Newcastle group created a toolbox with a rich variety of exercises and tools for training on well-being and increased confidence.
- Manchester: Invisible Health Workplace Initiative The Manchester group created a resource on women’s health, specifically aimed at workplaces.
- Belfast: Women’s stories and perspectives on the Pandemic The Belfast group created a blog series on women’s perspectives and experiences during COVID-19.
“The training programme has increased my confidence, encouraged me to own and be proud of my strengths, try new things, be open and honest. It was amazing to see how we could create a project based on our own ideas and make it happen!”
– Attendee
How did the programme impact women?
Many of the women who attended described how their confidence has increased. “A couple of the group exercises that meant being under the spotlight and coming out of my comfort zone,” explained one attendee. “It left me feeling positively overwhelmed and thinking ‘I Can’ instead of ‘I can’t’. That was powerful.”
Participants also told WRC that the programme had a significant professional impact on them, and how they are continuing to share the learning of the programme. One woman at the beginning of her career said the course made her “think widely about the concept of feminist leadership in terms of shared responsibility versus hierarchical patriarchal leadership” and encouraged her to “apply the flexible and empathetic principles” as she moves through her career.
“Progression is not just about promotions but developing as an anti-racist and feminist inside and outside of work, and the course has advanced both these things for me.”
– Attendee
In terms of career progression, the training helped give one woman the confidence to “get a higher position job in a new organisation”, while it helped another to “assert boundaries, work better in groups, take the lead, and try new things [she] might find scary.”
When WRC asked the women how they planned to use their newly sharpened leadership skills, many cited newfound confidence to “speak up and use [their] voice” as a key development. One said: “I have learnt a lot about working in groups, balancing voices, making sure everyone is heard. I apply this at work in team meetings and in my personal life. I think more about who isn’t being heard.” Another attendee said the Feminist Leadership Programme had encouraged her to take “ownership over [her] agency in applying a leadership style that reflects being a woman in the charity sector.”
“I enjoyed the entire course. The design and structure and how it was facilitated all contributed to the effectiveness of the programme. There was a good combination of exercises, theory, and discussion and it was all inclusive. All delegates were invited to participate during varying points over the two days.
– Attendee
Feedback was provided following the individual and group exercises which was both positive and constructive, this was something I particularly liked as it is not only helpful to hear about where you have done well, but it is also valuable to hear honest and open constructive criticism about how you could improve. I observed the reaction of my fellow delegates at this point and I could see everyone smiling. It was quite exciting.”
Looking forwards
In a society that celebrates individualism and masculine norms and where most leaders are white and male, this programme is a much needed change. This programme demonstrates to participants that they all possess skills and knowledge required in a leader. It celebrates collaboration, solidarity and sisterhood, which has also had a deep effect on the participants. Women’s Resource Centre hopes to build out the programme to offer four to six annual cohorts across the country, as well as a mentorship programme and partnerships with local women’s charities in the host cities.
“The course has helped me to think and reflect more about our position in society, our roles as women in a lot of different aspects and thus the challenges we face. It has opened my eyes. I have thought more around intersectionality which was something I was aware of, but not this specific term. Something that may not have always been at the forefront, is now conscious and something I consider personally and apply practically day to day in both my personal and professional life.”
– Attendee
Find out more about the Feminist Leadership Programme on the Women’s Resource Centre website, and follow the organisation on Twitter.